Recoil pad



E. E. DEWHURS RECOIL PAD.

APPLICATION FILED Aue.4. 1921.

1,412, 1 16 Patented Apr. 25,1922.

UNHTEEH) EDIJIUND E. DEWHURST, 0F ELYB/IA, OHIO.

ancorr. ran.

Application filed August 4, 1921. Serial No. 489,670.

To all whom it may con era:

Be it known that I, EDMUND E. Daw- HURST, a citizen of the United States, residing at Elyria, in the county of Lorain and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Recoil Pads, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to gun cushions and is primarily concerned with improvements in the construction of recoil pads, such as are employed for absorbing the shock incident to firing a shot-gun or rifle.

Recoil pads having a form of such character that they may be readily attached to the stock of a shot-gun or rifle have heretofore been used for absorbing the force of the discharge, and these pads have embodied structures wherein a cushion effect is provided either by hollowing out the center portion, or by providing a series of slots extending laterally therethrough. In most of these cases, however, I have found that the pads do not grip the shoulder, but instead provide a means for absorbing the direct thrust exerted by the stock against the shoulder of the person using the gun. Furthermore, I have found, that the usual result of use of. recoil pads, heretofore known, is that the line of sight is thrown momentarily from the target and that there is therefore an appreciable difliculty experienced in quickly firing an accurate second shot.

The object of my invention, therefore, is the provision of a recoil pad which may be readily secured to the stock of existing rifles and employed not only for cushioning the force of the discharge, but for simultaneously gripping the shoulder so as to maintain the line of sight directly on the target, whereby the gun is directly in position for a succeeding shot.

In carrying out my invention, I employ a recoil pad having a face curved to fit snugly against the shoulder .of the firer, and I pro vide a series of lateral slots which are so positioned, as to cause the toe and heel of the pad to move slightly toward each other, and thereby to grip. the shoulder when the rifle is fired.

The means for accomplishing the above objects will be more fully set forth in the following description which relates to the drawing, and the essential characteristics of my invention will be set forth in the claims.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is the perspective View, showing the'stock of the gun having a recoil pad embodying features of my invention. Fig. 2 is an end view of the recoil pad. Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 33 in Fig. 2.

Designating the parts shown in the drawmg by the use of reference characters, 10 represents the stock of a rifle having a recoil pad, embodying the features of my inventlon, secured thereto. The recoil pad comprises a section 11, preferably formed of unvulcanized pliable rubber, which is secured to a rigid section 12, which constitutes a backing for securing the pad to the stock. Suitable apertures 13 extend through the cushion for enabling stock fastening screws 1-4 to be passed therethrough.

The cushion proper is provided with a shoulder engaging face, which is very materially hollowed, as at 15, and curved gradually outwardly at the toe and heel, as at 16, and 17 respectively. This curvature enables the stock to be readily adjusted to the shoulder of the firer before the rifle is discharged. To provide a cushioning action, and, at the same time, to cause the pad to grip the shoulder, I provide a series of slots, which extend laterally through the pad, and which are spaced in such a manner as to provide connecting portions 20 and 21, on the heel end of the pad, and connecting portions 22 and 23, on the toe end thereof. These'sections are arranged in planes which converge preferably at an angle of 45 with a plane passing horizontally through the central portion of the pad so that when the rifle is discharged, the portions 16 and 17 are. slightly forced together and the pad thereby caused to grip the shoulder.

To produce the converging portions 20-23, I have shown a central slot 25 as being substantially arcuate in form with the center thereof being on the stock side of the pad. On each side of the central slot I have shown a set of crescent shaped slots as at 26, 27, and 28 and 29 respectively. These slots are preferably symmetrically positioned with relation to the central slot, except that those on each side of the central portion face to- 'ward the heel and toe respectively.

By employin arcuate apertures or slots, I have found t at greater resiliency is obtained, than by employing straight or oblique slots. Furthermore, I have found that the particular arrangement of the slots provides connecting portions which, when compressed, are thereby sli htly forced together, whereby the shoulcfer is gripped and the rifle thereby maintained in balanced position ready for the next shot. This gripping feature is further aided by reason of the fact that the central portion of the cushion is thinner and more easily compressed than the toe and heel portions.

The relative position of the curved surface 15 may be altered to raise or lower the position of the stock relative to the shoulder, so that the user may have. exactly the desired elevation from the point of contact at the shoulder to the line of sight. In the manufacture of therecoil pads, a selection of styles may be afforded by making some with the curve normally positioned, some with the curve higher and some lower.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A recoil pad for a gun, comprising a flexible cushion adapted to be secured to the rear end of the gun stock and having laterally extending slots positioned, both above and below the center of the cushion, at progressively increasing angles to the rear end of the gun stock, whereby thetoe and heel of the pad grips the shoulder whenthe gun is discharged[ 2. A 'recoil pad comprising a flexible cushion having the central portion thereof thinner than the toe and heel portion, and having an opening extending laterally through the central portion of the cushion with other openings positioned symmetrically with reference to the central opening, the last mentioned openings extending in lines which progressively incline away from the center as the openings approach the toe and heel portion respectively, whereby the toe and heel portions grip the shoulder when the rifle is discharged.

3. A recoil pad comprising a soft rubber cushion having the central portion thinner than the toe and heel portion, a curved slot extending through the central portion of said pad and a plurality of curved slots on each side of the center portion, each of said slots being spaced to provide portions of rubber extending approximately at an angle of 45 degrees with the toe and heel respectively.

4. A recoil pad comprising a soft rubber cushion having a curved slot extending through the central portion and a plurality of curved slots on each side of the center portion, each of said slots being spaced to provide portions of rubber extending approximately at an angle of 45 degrees with the toe and heel respectively, and the slots on each side of the central portion being arranged to face in the same direction.

5. A gun recoil pad comprising a nonflexible base and a soft rubber cushion rigidly secured thereto, said cushion having the middle portion thinner than the toe and heel portions, and having a series of curved slots extending laterally therethrough and at spaced intervals, the slots on each side of the central portion facing toward the toe and heel respectively, whereby when the gun is discharged the toe and heel portions are forced slightly inwardly to grip the shoulder of the person firing the gun.

6. A gun recoil pad having a non-flexible base and a pliable cushion mounted thereon, said cushion having a curved surface on that portion in engagement with the shoulder of the person firing the gun, and havin' an arcuate slot extending through the centra portion thereof, with a pair of arcuate slots above and below the central portion, all of said slots being separated to provide connecting portions of pliable material, said connecting portions extending at an angle of approximately 45 degrees with a plane passing horizontally through the central portion of the pad.

7. A gun recoil pad comprising a nonflexible base and a soft rubber cushion rigidly secured thereto, said cushion being hollowed along the central portion so as to fit snugly against the shoulder of the per son firing the gun and having an arcuate slot facing toward the stock of the gun with a pair, of arcuate slots extending through the cushion in the same direction inwhich the central slot extends, the slots on the heel end being arranged to face toward the heel of the pad, and'the slots on the toe end being arranged to face toward the toe of the pad.

8. A recoil pad comprising a flexible cushion having a curved slot extending through the central portion thereof and facing toward the-rifle, and having other curved slots symmetrically positioned on either side of the central portion, said mentioned slots being shaped to face away from the rifle.

9. A recoil pad comprising a flexible cushion having the central portion thereof thinner than the toe and heel portion, and having an arcuate shaped slot facing in one direction, with arcuate shaped slots facing in the other direction and disposed above and below the first named arcuate slot and positioned substantially symmetrically with reference thereto.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto affix my signature.

EDMUND E. DEWHURST. 

